Erickson Will Give It The Old College Try

Did he lose his job and then his mind? Questions were as persistent as the reporters asking them, and Dennis Erickson stood there Friday, fielding and firing, flawlessly handling all of the curiosity.

Although many believe otherwise, Erickson said he has not made an error in becoming the head coach at Oregon State, that it is not a step down, just a proper move at this time in his 52-year-old life.

Were it not for a dubious touchdown awarded to the New York Jets that prevented the Seahawks from advancing to the playoffs, Erickson could have been standing in the Kingdome on Saturday.

Instead, he will be on the sidelines at Reser Stadium, conducting his first fall workout with the Beavers. Erickson, whose last college job was at UM, is delighted with the opportunity, spurred by the challenge, and it doesn't matter if the cynics think he's gone mad.

"When I took the job, the least of my worries was what other people thought in the, quote, public," he said. "When I talked to other coaches, they said it was a chance to put your signature on something and leave a legacy. Nobody said: `Hey, you're a dummy.'"

There were many reasons why he came to Corvallis, and Erickson rehashed them all: his ties to the Northwest, his desire to return to college football, to call the plays, to help shape the lives of his players, to experience the campus excitement on game days.

"I want to prove I can do it," he said. "That's as big a part of me as there is, to turn around something that hasn't been turned around for 28 years."